A few days back, we asked about how to green Halloween. Well, the new Green, Inc. blog over at the New York Times is wondering why people would shell out more money for an organic Halloween pumpkin. Kate Galbraith wonders, "does it make sense to pay a premium for something you’re only going to carve up and put on display?"
We buy organic not because of health benefits—and anyway, humans are such lousy experimental subjects, it's impossible to unequivocally prove that an organic diet is more healthy than a "conventional" one—but rather because we don't like the unquestionably negative environmental impact of farming with pesticides and fertilizer. So, yes, if we buy a pumpkin this year, it will be organic... while we're stewing on a Halloween-themed creative reuse project of our own, it's likely we'll just break down and buy a pumpkin.
Oh, and one more thing: Green, Inc. shares a great secret for inexpensive organic produce. She belongs to a co-op. A few hours of labor a month entitles her to a deep discount on organic produce. Her very own organic pumpkin cost just $1.07 a pound. Guess that means it's worth the price.
Have you found organic pumpkins? How much are they in your neck of the woods?
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Sorry, I consider an organic pumpkin a waste of money unless you plan on making pie out of it.
Comparably priced to regular pumpkins. $2 to $5 depending on the size. Organic pie pumpkins are $0.75/lb to $1.50/lb depending on the store. Not sure what conventional pie pumpkins are going for here in CO.
Also, absolutely buy organic! The primary reason to buy organic is not the potential ingestion of pesticides, but the consequences to the environment and the folks who apply the pesticides. That is why people buy organic cotton. I'd buy everything organic if I could.
PLEASE don't tell people that there are no proven health benefits to eating organically! You may be leading people to believe that choosing organic does not matter to their health, it does! Studies have shown that switching to an organic diet from conventional immediately lowers the amount of pesticides in the body. Just do a search on Google Scholar.
That being said, choosing organic even for products that won't be ingested or used topically is another choice. Personally, I wouldn't choose to spend the money in that way, but to put your money where your mouth is, by all means.
At the Santa Monica farmers' market, organic pumpkins're super cheap! The smallish one I usually get's just a buck. :)